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Many computing enthusiasts choose not to conform to the tech industry's upgrade path propaganda by implementing overclocking techniques. Overclocking is the process of increasing the speed or clock frequencies of devices, such as processors, beyond their factory defaults.
Our primary concern in this book is with extending the processor (CPU) clock speed and examining the intricate relation it has with the computer system's other components. The procedures involved with the overclocking process can vary according to different system architectures, but the basic concepts remain essentially the same. We'll focus on desktop personal computing, with the IBM compatible being the dominant market player.
The term IBM compatible has undergone a radical departure from the early days of desktop computing, but the fundamental concepts behind the technology remain essentially the same. The entire range of desktop systems once designated under the blanket umbrella of IBM compatibility can now be referenced to the base architecture being utilized, in this case, "x86," a derivative of the naming process applied to system architectures from the original 8086 in the early 1980s through the release of the 80486 nearly a decade later. While different manufacturers and developers have adopted various naming strategies to increase market differentiation, all current so-called IBM-compatible desktop platforms remain nothing more than extensions to the x86 core processor architecture.
The market has witnessed the rise and fall of a variety of processor manufacturers over the years. The three remaining x86 market players are Intel Corporation, Advanced Micro Designs (AMD), and VIA Technologies, and their major product offerings are listed in Table 1-1.
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Manufacturer |
Architecture |
MHz Rating |
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Intel Corporation |
Pentium |
60 – 200 MHz |
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Pentium MMX |
133 – 233 MHz |
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Pentium Pro |
150 – 200 MHz |
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Pentium II |
233 – 450 MHz |
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Celeron |
233 – 333 MHz |
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Celeron A |
300 – 533 MHz |
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Pentium III Katmai |
450 – 600 MHz |
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Pentium III Coppermine |
500 – 1133 MHz |
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Celeron II |
533 – 1100 MHz |
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Pentium III Tualatin |
1100+ MHz |
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Celeron Hybrid |
1200+ MHz |
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Pentium 4 Willamette |
1300 – 2000 MHz |
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Pentium 4 Northwood |
1600 – 3000+ MHz |
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Pentium Xeon |
All Pentium Ranges |
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Advanced Micro Designs |
K5 |
75 – 117 MHz |
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K6 |
166 – 300 MHz |
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K6-2 |
266 – 550 MHz |
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K6-3 |
350 – 450 MHz |
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K6-2/3+ |
450 – 550 MHz |
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Athlon K7 |
500 – 700 MHz |
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Athlon K75 |
550 – 1000 MHz |
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Athlon Thunderbird |
600 – 1400 MHz |
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Athlon Duron |
600 – 950 MHz |
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Athlon 4/MP |
1200 – 1400+ MHz |
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Athlon Duron Morgan |
1000+ MHz |
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Athlon XP |
1333+ MHz |
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VIA Technologies/Cyrix/National Semiconductor |
686 M1 |
80 – 150 MHz |
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686MX M2 |
133 – 300 MHz |
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Cyrix III |
350 – 450 MHz |
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VIA C3 |
533 – 933+ MHz |
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Intel remains the dominant player across all ranges of the desktop computing marketplace, and has retained its significant market share ever since the first implementation of its 8086 processor within IBM's earliest x86 desktop computing systems. The architectures driving competition from other manufacturers are extensions to technologies pioneered by Intel over the past 30 years.
The Pentium 4 represents Intel's current flagship platform. The Pentium 4 platform is based on a radical departure from its earlier P6 architectures, though binary compatibility is maintained with nearly all 32-bit x86 programming code. The older P6 core technology is still represented through Intel's active support and manufacturing of the Pentium III and Celeron microprocessors.
AMD has rapidly gained market share over the past decade due to its superb architectural designs and dedication to cost efficiency. This increased competition is a welcome addition to the computer markets, as AMD can effectively influence the pricing strategies across the entire microprocessor market, thus leading to decreases in end-user pricing due to increased competition for Intel's product offerings.
AMD's core business model is based around the Athlon series microprocessor, which has undergone a multitude of revisions since its first inception just a few years ago. The Athlon remains the most efficient x86 architecture currently available in terms of raw per-MHz performance, regardless of the marketing hype and paranoia generated by competing manufacturers. The current AthlonXP, AMD's flagship product series, represents a pinnacle of x86 computing not even conceptualized just a decade ago.
Once popular processor favorites like National Semiconductor's Cyrix and IDT Centaur's WinChip are now only memories, though both of these corporations still live on through acquisitions by the Taiwanese technology giant VIA Technologies. VIA has resurrected the technologies from these manufacturers with its C3 series of processors. The C3 is a relatively underpowered chip compared to competing entry-level designs, though its architecture does offer a good performance to price ratio for users interested only in basic desktop applications.
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